Newnan resident Terry Randy Wallace pleaded guilty in federal court May 11 to conspiring with nearly a dozen others to possess and distribute the prescription drug oxycodone. The case is related to another involving 27 year-old Marietta resident Kristen Noelle Goduto and an alleged drug ring, the Goduto organization, that forged prescriptions for oxycodone and sold the drug across north Georgia from Blue Ridge to McDonough.
U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates speaking May 12 of the case involving 23 year-old Terry Wallace said the Newnan resident, an associate of the Goduto organization, on May 11 pleaded guilty to conspiring with Kristen Noelle Goduto and others to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute it.
Specifically, said Yates, Wallace received forged prescriptions from Goduto and presented the forged prescriptions at pharmacies to have them filled, thereby obtaining oxycodone tablets. Once he obtained the oxycodone, Wallace gave the drugs to Goduto so that they could be distributed, Yates added.
Making the connection to the larger Goduto organization, Yates said Kristen Noelle Goduto allegedly led 10 codefendants in a conspiracy to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute. Goduto manufactured prescriptions for oxycodone and recruited others to pass the forged prescriptions throughout the Northern District of Georgia from as far south as McDonough and Covington to as far north as Dalton and Blue Ridge, said Yates.
Yates said Goduto allegedly paid those who passed the prescriptions in either cash or narcotics. By passing these forged prescriptions this criminal organization obtained, and attempted to obtain, over 10,000 thousand oxycodone tablets which they intended to distribute on the streets.
“Prescription drug abuse is our nation’s fastest-growing segment of illegal drug use, causing significantly more overdose deaths than cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin combined. Oxycodone remains one of the most widely abused prescription drugs, and it’s also one of the most addictive and deadly drugs when not taken properly,” said Yates. ”The forging of prescriptions is an especially harmful situation because it completely removes the oversight of a physician from the equation.”
Oxycodone is the generic name of a prescription painkiller that is an ingredient in popular brand medications including Oxycontin, Percocet, and Roxycodone.
“These indictments have caused the dismantlement of an organization responsible for the distribution of oxycodone, a powerful and addictive opium derivative. This case is a perfect example of the success that can be accomplished when federal, state and local resources are combined to present a united front,” said Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
The cases involving the Goduto organization are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth M. Hathaway.
